The present invention relates generally to a program information providing apparatus and method, a program recording preset system and method, and a program recording system and method which are suitably for use in presetting the recording of programs on a recording apparatus at a remote site from a portable terminal apparatus connected thereto via a network.
Techniques that program recording preset is performed on a program recording apparatus for recording broadcast programs on a recording medium via a telephone circuit so that the recording is started at preset timing, are known.
The program recording apparatus on which the recording preset of programs can be made at a remote site has an interface for connecting the program recording apparatus to a telephone line and a signal conversion processing section for converting a program select signal inputted from a telephone into a signal for controlling the recording preset by this program recording apparatus. For presetting program recording, a user telephones to the program recording apparatus to send input items for program recording preset such as additional information including program channel number, program start and end times, and recording mode to the program recording apparatus as a number select signal of the telephone by pressing pushbutton. The interface of the program recording apparatus receives the number select signal. The signal conversion processing section converts the received number select signal into a program recording preset control signal, thereby presetting program recording.
A technique is also known in which the preset for program recording is inputted for causing a PC (Personal Computer) having a receiver for receiving programs and a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) for recording received programs to record program from a portable terminal apparatus including a portable PC or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) via a network such as the Internet. First, a user establishes an Internet session between a portable terminal apparatus including a portable PC or a PDA and a portable PC at a remote site. Through this session, the controller of the portable PC or PDA causes a Web browser installed therein to display an input screen which prompts the user to enter predetermined input items necessary for program recording preset. The user enters the input items including the information about a program to be recorded from that portable terminal apparatus.
However, the above-mentioned known technique of presetting program recording on a program recording apparatus from a telephone requires a dedicated recording apparatus equipped with a signal conversion apparatus for converting a number select signal of a telephone into a program recording preset control signal. Besides, using pushbutton for entering such information for presetting program recording as program channel number, program start and end times, and recording mode is significantly bothersome and time consuming.
Also, presetting program recording on a PC at a remote site from a portable PC or a PDA requires the user to enter information about a program to be recorded from the portable PC or the PDA, thereby presenting a problem of significantly bothersome and time-consuming entry operations.